Automatic railway-switch.



PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.,

- U. A. WOODBURY.

AUTOMATIG RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1904.

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mwodiigf W Fl 4 wits wanes v PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

U. A. WOODBURY. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2. 1904.

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atmwaq- Patented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

URBAN A. IVO ODBURY, OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,573, dated May 2, 1905.

Application filed August 2, 1904. Serial No. 219.207.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, URBAN A. WooDnURY, a citizen-of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Ohittenden and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway- Switches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which forma part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of automatic railway-switches described in the Letters Patent of the United States granted to me April 26, 1904, under No. 758,401; and it consists more particularly in certain modifications of the mechanism therein shown and of the mode of operation of the same, all of which will be clearly understood from the detailed description to follow, taken in connection with the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a railway-switch equipped with my improved mechanism. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the trip. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detail views, and Fig. 7 is a section on line :0 a: of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, 37 represents one of the rails of a railway-track at a siding-switch, and 45 represents one of the switch-rails. The latter is attached to and moved by the switchrod 1, which is actuated during the ordinary operations of switching from a switch-stand, (not shown,) which may be of any of the usual types, although I have contemplated using that known as the Ramapo by its connection with the rod 1], running to said switchstand.

The automatic mechanism by which the connection between rods 1 and 11 is broken and the switch closed is controlled, as in my prior patent, from a trip device located at some distance from the switch and arranged to be actuated by a train. The trip is shown at 28 pivoted on a short shaft 24:, journaled below the rail, and having one short heavy arm to act as a counterweight and a longer arm pro jecting upwardly in position to be struck by the means provided for that purpose on the train and then directed downwardly at the end, where it is slotted for a purpose to be described. A spring 26 is provided to maintain the trip normally elevated. Attached to said shaft 24 and projecting vertically upward therefrom when the trip 28 is in its operative position is an arm 44, forked to straddle the trip at its lower end, as shown in Fig. 5, and having a bolt 38 passing transversely through its upper end, on which bolt are journaled two bars 27, which extend forwardly one on each side of the trip to a point somewhat beyond its front end. The shaft 24 may conveniently be carried in a casting 25, secured beneath the rail, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 7 At their front ends the arms 27 are joined by a transverse connection, and in the threesided inclosure thus formed is attached a stop member comprising two triangular-shaped cheeks 35, a top piece 35, and a pair of triangular pieces 35" between said cheeks, presenting separated vertical abutments 35, facing toward the trip 28, and inclined separated guiding-surfaces leading downwardly to said abutments.

A rod 34:, leading from the switch, passes between the pieces 35, and pins or lugs 29, projecting horizontally from said rod, are adapted to engage said abutments 35" and also to slide along said inclined guiding-su rfaces for a purpose to be hereinafter described.-

On a rod or arbor 32, passing beneath the rail, is mounted a bell-crank lever 36, which is connected by a link 31 with the arms 27 by a pin or bolt 30. In the operative position of the parts the shorter arm of said bell-crank lever stands substantially vertical, and to it is connected a rod 33, which runs to the switch and which is connected at that end to the switch-rod 1 by means of a bell-crank 42 and a link 13, the former being pivoted on a bracket 41, projecting from the rail. The other rod, 3 1, is connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever 10, which is the means for holding the switch-operating mechanism in its normal position for ordinary switching. Said mechanism comprises, as mentioned above, the switchrod 1 and the rod 11, running to the switchstand. (Not shown.) The end of rod 11 lies beneath the end of rod 1 and is connected to it by a pin or boss 12 passing through slot 2 in rod 1, the top of said pin or boss terminating above the rod 1 in an angular head 13, the inwardly-converging front faces of which (see Fig. 4) are engaged by the corresponding faces of a pair of dogs 3 3, pivoted at 4 4 upon the rod 1, one on each side of the slot 2. Said dogs have short outwardly-projecting arms 5 5 and are normally held in the position shown in Fig. 4 by a spring 7, mounted between lugs 9 9 on the rear ends of said dogs. The adjacent surfaces of said dogs near said ends are beveled, as shown at 8, so that when the dogs are swung upon their pivots by means to be described said surfaces will become parallel and abut upon each other.

Suitably held on brackets 17 or the like above said rod 11 is a cylinder 39, in which can slide a piston or head 18, rigidly secured to a rod 14, which projects out of said cylinder to a point overlying said dogs, where it terminates in a lateral piece 6, from which fingers 22 project downwardly in position to engage the arms 5 of the dogs 3.

A strong spring 15 surrounds the rod 14 within the cylinder and tends to force said rod into the same.

To a bracket 21, projecting from the cylinder, is pivoted at 23 the bell-crank lever 16,- to one arm of which, as stated above, the rod 34 is attached. The other arm of said lever is slotted, as at 20, and a pin 19, attached to the bar 14, engages in said slot. hen the lever is held by the rod 34 in the position shown,

' the spring 15 is held compressed and the dogs 3 maintain the connection between switchrod 1 and switch-stand rod 11.

lVhen the spring is allowed to expand, the head or piston 18.is moved near to the end of the cylinder, in which end a screw 16is threaded,by turning which the head 18 can be forced back and the spring recompressed.

The operation is as follows: For all ordinary switching the rod'14, lever 10, and rod 34 do not move. Rods 1 and 11 are rigidly connected by the dogs 3 3. If the switch is set wrong and a train runs through it from the heel, the rod 1 can yield in either direction, as in an ordinary switch. Whenever the switch is closed, the movement of the rod causes the trip 28 to be depressed by its connection therewith through bell-crank 41, rod 33, bell-crank 36, link 31, arms 27 and 44, and shaft 24. Obviously when the switch is opened the reverse action takes place. The trip is thus automatically kept in operative position when it may be needed. Now when it is struck by an approaching train, and I contemplate the use of the extra wheel shown in my said patent for this purpose, the rod 34 is knocked downwardly, so that the lateral projections 29 thereon are released from the abutments 35 and leave said rod free to move endwise. The bell-crank 10 being no longer held, the spring 15 expands, and the fingers 22 on the ends of the lateral piece 6 of bar 14 engage with the arms 5 5 of the dogs 3 3, swinging said dogs on their pivots until the surfaces 8 come into contact. The connection between rods 1 and 11 is thus broken, and the further expansion of spring 15 pulls rod 1 and closes the switch, the trip and connected parts being depressed, as described above. To reset the parts, the screw 16 is actuated, whereby bar 14 is returned to its original position and the spring 15 is recompressed. This movement, through the engagement of pin 19 in slot 20 of the bell-crank 10, returns the latter to its first position, and rod 34 is thereby moved back again. The lugs 29 ride along the inclined surfaces of the member 35 until they pass up in front of the abutmentshoulders 35. It will be noticed that the rod 34 is of such length that it never passes out of the slot in the front end of the trip. The counterweight on the trip and the spring 26 act, therefore, to raise the end of rod 34 into position.

Various details of the mechanism above described, as well as proportions of parts, &e., may, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, be varied within certain limits without departing from the spirit of my invention.

That I claim is- 1. In an automatic railway-switch, the combination with a switch-rod and a switch-stand rod normally connected together, of independent spring-operated means adapted and arranged, when released, to engage said switchrod, to break the connection between said rods and then move the switch-rod to close the switch, and a trip arranged to be struck by a train to release said means.

2. In an automatic railway-switch, the combination with the switch-rod and switch-stand rod, of latch devices to normally connect the same together, independent spring-operated means adapted and arranged to engage said devices to first disconnect said rods and then move said switch-rod, means to hold the same normally inoperative and a trip arranged to be struck by a train to release said holding means.

3. In an automatic railway-switch, the combination with a switch-rod and a switch-stand rod normally connected together, of a normally stationary bar independently mounted above said switch-stand rod, a spring tending to move said bar toward the switch-stand, means to hold said bar against movement by said spring, a trip arranged to be struck by a train to release said bar, and means on said bar to break the connection between said rods and to engage said switch-rod, whereby the latter is moved by said spring to close the switch.

4. In an automatic railway-switch, the com- TIC bination with a switch-rod and a switchstand rod normally connected together, of a nor mally stationary bar slidably mounted above said switch-stand rod, a spring tending to move said bar toward the switch-stand, a pin on said bar, a bell-crank lever pivoted on said cylinder and having a slotted arm engaging said pin, a trip adapted and arranged to be struck by a train, a stop member adjacent said trip, a rod connected to the other arm of said bellcrank lever and normally engaging said stop member, the free end of said rod passing through a slot in said trip, whereby when said trip is struck said rod is disengaged from said stop member,and said bar is rendered free to move under the influence of said sprin 5. In an automatic railway-switch, the combination with a switch-rod and a switchrstand rod normally rigidly connected, normally inoperative spring-actuated means to break the connection and move said switch-rod to close the switch, a bell-crank lever to maintain said means inoperative, a trip adapted and arranged to be struck by a train, a stop member adjacent said trip, a rod connected to said bell-crank lever and normally engaging said stop member, said trip being adapted and arranged, when struck by a train, to disengage said rod from said stop member and release said spring-actuated means.

6. In an automatic railway-switch, the combination with a slotted switch-rod, a switchstand rod having a head projecting through said slot, a pair of dogs pivoted on said switchrod and adapted to engage said head, a spring tending to hold said dogs in engagement with said head, a stationary cylinder located above said switch-stand rod, a pistonbar within saidcylinder, a spring within said cylinder tending to move said piston-bar away from the rails, projections on the end of said bar adapted and arranged to engage said dogs and disengage the same from said head and thereafter move said switch-rod, a bell-crank lever pivoted to said cylinder and having a slot in one of its arms, a pin on said piston-bar engaging in said slot, a rod connected to the other arm of said lever, a trip adapted and arranged to be actuated by a train to release said rod, whereby said bell-crank lever allows said piston to move under the influence of the spring in said cylinderand the switch is closed.

In an automatic railway-switch, the com bination with a slotted switch-rod, a switchstand rod having a head projecting through said slot, the lower part of said head normally engaging the end of said slot, and the front face of said head having reentrant surfaces, a pair of dogs pivoted on said switch-rod, one on each side of said slot and having surfaces adapted to engage said reentrant surfaces, said dogs also having shortoutwardly-projecting arms 5, 5, a spring tending to keep said dogsin operative position, a stationary cylinder located above said switch-stand rod, a piston-bar and a spring within said cylinder, said bar having projections at its outer end adapted to engage with said short arms of said dogs to remove said dogs from engagement with said head and thereafter to move said switchrod to close the switch, a bell-crank lever having a slotted arm adapted to engage a pin on said piston-bar, a rod connected to the other arm of said bell-crank lever, a stop member normally holding said rod against longitudinal movement and a trip to release said bar from said stop member.

8. In an automatic railway-switch, the combination with a switch-rod and a switch-stand rod normally rigidly connected together, normally inoperative spring-actuated means to break the connection and more said switchrod to close the switch, a bell-crank lever to maintain said means inoperative, a shaft journaled transversely below one of the main rails, a trip rigidly mounted on said shaft, an arm also rigidly attached thereon and projecting upwardly therefrom, arms 27 attached to the upper end of said first-mentioned arm and extending forwardly one on each side of said trip, a stop member carried by the forward ends of said last-mentioned arms, a rod connected to said bell-crank lever and normally engaging said stop member, the free end of said rod passing through a slot in the front end of said trip, a second bell-crank lever pivoted to said rail and having one arm connected to said stop member, a third bellcrank lever pivoted to the track adjacent said switch-rod, a rod connecting the other arm of said second bell-crank lever and one arm of said third bell-crank lever, and a link connecting the other arm of said third bell-crank lever to said switch-rod, whereby whenever the switch is closed, said stop member, arms and trip will be depressed, and when said trip is struck by a train said spring-actuated means will be released to close the switch.

9. In an automatic railway-switch the combination with a switch-rod and a switch-stand rod normally connected, spring actuated means adapted to break the connection between said rods and thereafter to close the switch, means to maintain said spring-actuated means normally inactive, a trip adapted and arranged to be struck by a train to release said means, and connections between said trip and said switch-rod, whereby the former is depressed out of operative position by the operation of closing the switch.

10. In an automatic railway-switch the combination with a slotted switch-rod of a switchstand rod having a projection engaged in said slot, dogs pivoted on said switch-rod to maintain said projection in one end of said slot, spring-actuated means arranged above said rods and adapted to remove said dogs from engagement with said projection, the movement of said dogs being limited so that said switch-rod is moved by said spring-actuated means after said dogs have been disengaged from said projection, means to maintain sai spring-actuated means inoperative, a trip arranged to-be struck :by a train to releasethe same, and imeans-con'necting said'trip and switch-rodwhereby the former is depressed by the operation of closing the switch.

11. In an automatic railway-switclnthecombination of a switch-rod and a switch-stand rod normally connected together, independently-mounted spring-operated means adapted and arranged when released to breakthe connection between said rods and move said switch-rod to close the switch, meanscto hold said spring-operated means normally inactive, a rod connected to said holding means, a-trip pivoted to the track and adaptediwhen in its elevated position to be struck by a train, a stop member rigidlyconnected to said trip, projections on said rod to engage said stop member, said trip being adapted when depressed to release said rod from said stop member whereby said spring-operated. means are released to close the switch and connections between said switch-rod and said stop member to relevate the trip and to rengage said rod vwith the stop member when the switch is again opened.

rod'connectedto said lever, and 'runninglto said tripmember, shoulders to holdsaid rod against longitudinal movement untilreleased byidepression of said trip member, connections from said-switch-rod to said trip to replace saidgrodin engagementwith said shoulders and means to reset said spring after it has been releasedby the actuation of said trip.

In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature in presence of, two witnesses.

URBAN A. -WOODBURY.

Witnesses:

J. E. TRAILL,

A. RoUssEAU. 

